Capping apparatus



Aug. 29, 194-4. A. 1. SHOMPI -IRLEN CAPPING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 29, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 )9. I. JHOMPERL EN 1944. A. l. SHOMPERLEN 2,356,893

CAPPING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 29, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 29, 1944- A. l. SHOMPERLEN CAPP ING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Shet 3 Filed Oct. 29, 1942 zjwbe/wboql HZ JHOMPEEL EN abbot-M4 Patented Aug. 29, 1944- CAPPING APPARATUS Albert I. Shomperlen, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company, Allegheny County, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application October 29, 1942, Serial No. 463,773

4 Claims.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved capping head for securing caps upon containers.

Another object of the invention is to provide a capping apparatus which is adapted to be operated in conjunction with a container filling machine from which containers to be capped are supplied.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a capping mechanism and supporting structure, parts of which are shown in cross section; Fig. 2 is a plan of essential parts of the structure shown in Fig. 1 with uprights shown in horizontal section; Fig. 3 is a plan of a container gripping device; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section, taken substantially along the line III-III of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical section of a capping head;

I Fig. 6 is a horizontal section taken substantially along the line VIVI of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view, partially in section and partially in elevation, of shaft coupling elements; Fig. 8 is a horizontal section taken substantially along the line VIII--VIII of Fig. 5; Fig. 9 is a horizontal section taken substantially along the line IXIX of Fig, 5; and Fig. 10 is a horizontal section taken substantially along the line X--X of Fig. 5.

In practicing the invention acapping apparatus 20 is employed in connection with a container filling machine which includes a conveyor 2| movable in a suitable manner past the capping apparatus. The type of container filling machine mentioned above is common in the art and is referred to merely to explain the manner in which the containers are prepared and moved to proper position for capping by the mechanism shown) to a sprocket and chain gearing 28 connected to the shaft adjacent its lower end.

An intermediate portion of the shaft has rigidly secured thereon a cam structure 30 which includes an outer cylindrical wall 3! about which cam rail sections 34 and 35 are welded to provide upon one end thereof and an intermediate portion of the lever has a boss 4| welded thereon through which a pivot bolt 42 is secured so as to extend horizontally therein. An upright post 43 rigidly secured upon the frame 26 supports clamping plates 45 upon one of which the bolt 42 is rigidly mounted. One of the plates is curved to fit snugly about the post. Suitable fasteners 46 clamp the plates 45 rigidly upon the post 43.

The end of the lever 46 opposite the roller 36 has a slot 41 formed therein through which an upright threaded pin 50 is loosely slidable. Washers 5| on the pin on opposite sides of the slotted lever end are engaged by compression springs 52 and 53 which surround the pin and are confined by means of washers and nuts 56 and 51,

the latter of which are secured upon opposite end portions of the pin 50.

The upper end of the pin 50 is screwed rigidly into a lug 58 that constitutes an intermediate part of a horizontal yoke 60 and extends laterally therefrom. This yoke can be composed of relatively thin bars 6| which are separated at their ends by means of the spacers 62 and which are spaced in substantially parallel relation along their intermediate portions. The bars 6| are of such resiliency that they can be spread slightly. Bowed portions 63 are formed in opposite directions and centrally on the bars to form a beara. track on which a roller 36 travels in response to rotation of the shaft. A rocker arm or actuatinglever 40 has a roller 36 rotatably supported ing support for a vertical shaft sleeve section 65 which rotates therein. Interfitting' thrust bearing parts 61 (Fig. 5) prevent the yoke 66 from moving axially of theshaft section 65,-but permits free rotation of such section therein. Proper fitting of the bearing parts can be insured by means of bolts 68 passing through the bars 6|. Before the bolts are applied, these bars can be sprung sufiiciently to receive the bearing portion of the sleeve 65.

A spline arrangement 69 slidably secures the shaft section 65 upon a vertical driven shaft 10 with respect to which it is vertically slidable, but non-rotatable. The sleeve section 65 is rigidly secured to a lower shaft section H in axial alinement therewith, and a clutch coupling 13 of sleeve form is rigidly secured by means of a screw 14 to the shaft section 1.1. A keyway 16 formed in the inner wall of the sleeve coupling 13 cooperates with a keyway 18 in the upper end of,

a clutch spindle to receive a key 8| which prevents relative rotation between the sleeve and spindle. A set screw 83 threaded through the sleeve 13 against the key locks the sleeve and shaft rigidly together in proper axial alinement. By manipulating one or both of the screws 14 and 83 the spindle 80 can. be adjusted axially with reference to the shaft section I I.

The lower end of the spindle 80 is formed with an integral clutch disc or flange 84 frictionally confined between two clutch discs 86 and 81 which are mounted in a casing 89 forming a part of a capping head 90. These discs are keyed, as indicated at 9|, in the inner wall of the casing and a third disc 92 is spaced upwardly from the disc 86. Coil springs 93 under compression have their ends fitted in sockets 94 in the opposing sides of the discs 86 and 92 to maintain frictional engagement of the discs 86 and 8! against opposite sides of the spindle disc 84. Set screws 96 threaded through a cover 91 of the casing contact the upper surface of the upper disc 92 for the purpose of compressing the springs 93 and thereby varying the frictional resistance offered by the discs 86 and B1 to the rotation of the spindle 80. This construction constitutes a slip clutch of variable resistance. The cover is bolted to the casing body by means of conventional fasteners 98.

A cup section I00 is keyed, as indicated at IOI, to the bottom of the casing and is further secured thereto by means of screws I02. A pad I03 of yieldable or resilient material, such as rubber, resin, felt, or the like, is mounted in the cup section I00 and togetherwith the casing is vertically movable toward a container I04 upon which a cap I05 is to be screwed.

Upright rods I I0 extend slidably through openings H2 in opposite ends of the yoke 60 and are provided with stop nuts II3 screw threaded on the rods on the upper side of the yoke. A coil spring II4 surrounding each rod III) is confined between the yoke and a pair of nuts I I6 that are screwed upon the rod for adjustment of the spring with regard to its compression. Each rod III] is connected at its lower end to the inner ends of oppositely extending toggle links I I8 and I I9 by means of a pivot pin I20. The outer end of the link I I8 is pivotally supported, as indicated at I2I, upon a bracket I23 that is rigidly mounted by means of bolts I24 upon a bed plate I 26. The frame 26 rigidly supports the bed plate I26. The outer end of the link I I9 is pivoted, as indicated. at I28, upon a slidable jaw I30 which includes a plate I3I and a pair of rails I32 having a curved upright plate I34 welded to the forward ends thereof. Suitable padding I36, such as rubber, or other yieldable or resilient material, is secured to the curved plate for engagement with the container I04.

Bolts I38 extend through the plate I3! and through slots I39 formed in the rails I32. Thus the plates and rails are rigidly clamped together as a unit and they are relatively adjustable by manipulation of the bolts I33 in the slots I39.

'Each plate I3I extends laterally in opposite directions beyond the rails I32 and are slidably disposed in guides I40 (Fig. 4) formed by guide bars I4I secured longitudinally upon the inner sides of angle members I42 by means of bolts I43. In like manner bolts I45 secure the angle members I4I to the bed plate I26.

It will be apparent from this description that downward movement of the yoke 60 causes the rods to actuate the toggle links H8 and H9 and thereby move the clamping jaws I30 toward each other below the capping head 90. This downward movement of the yoke'in response to the operation of the cam'structure 30 is cushioned by the springs 53 and H4 and causes the clamping jaws first to grip the container and imme-' diately thereafter the pad I03 of the capping head, while rotating, will engage the cap to screw the latter upon the container. The degree of tightness of the cap upon the container is determined by resistance of the slip clutch members 84, 86 and 81. Continued rotation of the cam structure 30 simultaneously releases the pad I03 and jaws I36 from the container which is then carried away by the conveyor and another container with a cap placed thereon is moved into position to be similarly capped.

Although only one form of the invention has been shown and described in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not so limited, but that various changes can be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a capping apparatus, a rotatably driven axially slidable shaft, a thrust bearing rotatably mounted uponsaid shaft, said bearing carrying a yoke in axially fixed position with respect to the shaft, a head upon the lower extremity of the shaft, and being adapted to engage and spin a cap upon a screw-capped container, jaws below said head and being transversely reciprocable to engage and disengage a container to be capped, actuating devices for reciprocating the jaws, connecting means between the devices and the yoke and means to raise and lower the yoke, simultaneously Vertically to move the shaft and to reciprocate the jaws, said means to raise and lower the yoke comprising a shifter lever having a fixed pivot and further being pivoted at one end to the yoke and a driven cam having surface contours corresponding vto the phases in the cycle of operation of both spindle and the jaws, operatively engaging a follower element upon the lever to operate the latter at predetermined intervals. 7

2. In a capping apparatus, a rotatably driven axially slidable shaft, a thrust bearing rotatably mounted upon said shaft, said bearing carrying a yoke in axially fixed position with respect to the shaft, a head upon the lower extremity of the shaft, and being adapted to engage and spin a cap upon a screw-capped container, jaws below said head and being transversely reciprocable to engage and disengage a container to be capped, actuating devices for reciprocating the jaws, connecting means between the devices I and the yoke and means to raise and lower the yoke simultaneously vertically to move the shaft and to reciprocate the jaws, said meansto raise and lower the yoke, comprising a shifter lever having a fixed pivot and further being pivotally connected to the yoke and a driven cam comprising a driven drum having a cam surface thereupon engaging a follower element upon the lever and being formed to correspond to the phases in the cycle of operation of the spindle and the jaws.

3. A head for applying caps to screw cap containers comprising a housing, a cover upon the upper extremity thereof, an axially formed bearing in the cover, slidably receiving a spindle and normally rotating as a unit therewith a clutch disk fixed upon the spindle within the housing, a friction clutch disk keyed for axial movement within the housing and being adapted to engage the first-mentioned disk, a plurality of set screws threaded through the cover axially thereof and spring means interconnectin the friction disk and the set screws for exerting a yieldable presprovided with clutch plate within the housing, a friction disk non-rotatably secured in the housing but being movable longitudinally of the shaft to engage the upper surface of the plate, a spring engaging the upper surface of the friction disk, and a screw actuated pressure means in the'upper portion of the housing and adjustably actuating the spring against the friction disk, and. a cap engaging element rigidly fixed 10 upon the lower extremity of the housing.

ALBERT I. SHOMPERLEN'. 

